Freedoms Rewind
by Humanitys-Shortest
Summary: "Y'know, Levi, you are kinda like a sun. Only you are tiny tiny tiny and the sun is big big big. You have this big impact in people, but just as you start to warm up to them, you disappear..."
1. Chapter 1

Title: Freedoms Rewind  
Author: Humanitys-Shortest  
Rating: T  
Full Description: "Y'know, Levi, you are kinda like a sun. Only you are tiny tiny tiny and the sun is big big big. You have this big impact in people, but just as you start to warm up to them, you disappear..."

Paring: ErenxLevi, (Ereri)

Disclaimer: I do not own Attack On Titan, nor do I own the characters included in this fanfic. All of the rights belong to Hajime Isayama. If I did own the rights, then Ereri would be everywhere right about now. Sadly..That's not the case. Gosh darn.

Authors Note: oKAY. So, i'm copying all of this roleplay up sixteen weeks into it - and me and Amber are still going. STILL GOING. Our ideas are endless, I swear to god. Our Wattpad is just pure fangirling, all right? I don't think we both thought it was going to last this long, but hell, i'm so darn happy it did - because christ, I don't think i've ever cried so much at a story..It may take me awhile to copy all of this up, but I determined! For Amber's sake. She can't read anything prior August 1st x'D But bless her, because she is actually one of the most amazing roleplayers I have ever had the privilege to write with - and during the process, i've become so close to her. She's cute, even if she won't admit it, but she's hella adorable. I think it's safe to say we ship Ereri a little bit to much..Oh, what the hell am I saying - you /can't/ ship Ereri to much. Anyway ~ She did the amazing job of role-playing Eren, whilst I did iccle Levi(Don't kill me Heichou)

Also, BIG PROPS TO AMBER FOR THE COVER ART. I was literally a dying/crying sorta thing when she showed it me. It's so. frikin. GOOD. HOW IS SHE SO TALENTED?! Anyway thank you so much butt nugget. c; I'll treasure it forever.

My original idea from this fanfic was prompted by another Author on here, 'Dreadful Mind,' so i'd like to thank her for the prompt! You should so check out her story: Personal Assistant. But other then the fact Eren is Levi's Personal Assistant in the first few chapters, then there is no similarities at all. :)

Amber's Instagram: nope_im_gd_thx  
Amber's Wattpad: Haran_Gombe

My Instgram: littlelawli /  
My Wattpad: Humanitys-Shortest

Eren sat at the receptionist desk at Trost Legal Services like any other, usual day. The brunette boy was just a normal, eighteen year old boy who found himself having no aspirations or particular desires for any job at all. Once he had finished his college courses, he honestly did not know what to do with himself or how to carry on his life. Currently - he was living with his best-friend, Armin Arlert. A blonde smart-ass who seemed to have a talent for reading books at the speed of lightning.

However, Eren didn't feel to comfortable with living under the same roof as his parents and adopted sister.

Since he came out as gay to his father, he was pretty much kicked out of the house. Literally. His mother and Mikasa, on the other hand, were much more supportive and happy for the young male. They tried their best to get Eren to stay with them...But his father was /completely/ different. The direct opposite, in fact.

So, that's what led to Eren living with the bubbly blonde. It wasn't until a few weeks later, that his father actually attempted at apologized to Eren, although he still didn't seem to confident with the fact that his son liked the same gender. But, Eren honestly didn't care. It was what made /him/ happy...Not anyone else. His father tried to allow the brunette to forgive him by helping him get a job at once of his businesses - this being owned by a man named Erwin Smith. He recalled that Erwin was actually looking for a new receptionist - and now, here Eren was, six months in to his new job and he had already come rather close friends with his work colleagues: Hanji and Erwin himself. Eren had thanked his father for the help, but as soon as Armin asked Eren to stay with him - that wasn't an offer the brunette boy was willing to pass up.

Eren really liked his job. He preferred to do something more active and physical, of course. But never-the-less, he was grateful for this job he had currently.

It was about five minutes later, after the young teenager had cleared his clouded mind, when a certain bouncy brunette had excitedly bounded into the front room where Eren was located in; her glasses gleaming from the bright lighting of the room, and her long legs seeming to jump up and down with absolute glee.

''Eren! Good morning!'' Her high voice sounded, almost echoing through the large opening room. Though, Eren was use to it by now. This was the Hanji everyone knew all to well.

''Good morning, Hanji. Did you have a nice weekend?'' Eren replied softly, grinning at his friends boundless enthusiasm.

''Like you wouldn't believe!'' Hanji screamed, placing her hands on Eren's shoulders. ''And I also have some big news for you! - Oh, wait. I shouldn't tell you now! That's Erwins job to tell you later!' The brunette added, leaving Eren in complete and utter confusion. The woman did that a lot..Began saying things, and never finishing what she wanted to stay in the first place. Why did she had to torment him like that?

''Yes, Hanji. Eren can wait until later when our guest arrives. Wouldn't you prefer it to be a surprise?'' Erwin said in a much softer, gentle tone as he walked through the front, glass doors of the building and took his position next to his brunette colleague infront of Eren's desk. Erwin was much more relaxed then the female accompanying him, yet, he was still smiling rather widely. They knew something that the youngest didn't know.. And Eren was quite literally clueless at this moment and time.

''Oh, yes! Of course! But you better way until I'm there before you tell him, Erwin! I swear! If I miss that scene you'll never hear the end of it!'' Hanji replied, her voice seeming to get louder..If that was even possible. Erwin could only chuckle, knowing that he /never/ hear the end of it in the first place. Though, it wasn't long before a baffled Eren decided to speak up.

''Uhm, guys? Care to inform me?'' The brown-haired male waved his hands infront of the other two's gaze, hopefully bringing their attention towards him. He'd like to understand what the hell was going on right about now..

''Meet me at my office, just before your lunch break. OK, Eren?'' Erwin replied quickly, that same smirk never leaving his pale features

''Yes sir!'' Eren beamed with a smile, bowing as he did so, before his two friends took the elevator behind him upstairs.

However. around an hour later, just ten minutes before Eren had to be in Erwins office: Eren watched as the spinning doors of the building twirled, letting a faint gust of air flow into the room; causing a shiver to make it's way down the brunette male's spine. A dark haired man walked into the building, with a rather pissed off facial expression. What was his problem..? Eren had dealt with angry customers before - but none looked as stoic and un-emotional and this one.

''I'm here to see eyebrows and shitty glasses.'' The straight face male stated, obviously referring to Erwin and Hanji. Eren wasn't sure if the other male was joking or not, but he couldn't help but notice the color of the man's eyes - grey and cloudy; an usual natural color, yet very admirable. When Eren didn't respond, the seemingly older, yet shorter male smirked. ''I meant Erwin and Hanji.

Eren tried to answer. He really, truly did, but any words he would have normally said caught in his throat. Why was he reacting this way? What was different about this one customer. It's not like he had never seen a small, black haired male before. Shaking head in an attempt to clear his thoughts, Eren looked down at the ravenette and simply answered: "Uh, yeah. I saw them go through the door not so long ago. Can I help with anything? Maybe take a message or name?"

Pleased with how steady and calm his voice sounded, Eren felt a sheepish grin spread in his face as he scratched the back of his neck. The other male only raised a delicate eyebrow. He really was stunning... Wait. No. What? Huh? Nope. He was not stunning, he was just another normal (and extremely rude) worker, looking for Hanji and Erwin. This meant nothing. Just because he was attractive to the eyes, that means nothing to the heart. Right?

Levi raised his both eyebrows now, ever so slightly under his black bangs as the young brunette smiled and spoke to him in a soft tone, yet Levi could see through his facade, as the receptionist seemed rather flustered and panicky. He was rather good at seeing though to people's real emotions. Never the less, Levi had to force himself to hold back a smirk. "Well, I have a meeting with the two dimwits in a few minutes. Would there be any chance you could show me their office?" The raven spoke in a blank tone, not knowing that the boy had to leave for the /same/ interview in a few minutes as well.

"Names Levi." The older male spoke, his voice still as stoic as it was before. Though, for some unknown reason, there wasn't a second that Levi took his gaze from the brunette kid. Why? He hadn't felt this kind of attraction for such a long time now..Wait,attraction? Just shut up Levi, and get to this damn meeting already. Though, he had managed to catch the timid male's name from his tag. Eren..That was a very odd, yet unique name. Levi couldn't remember the last time he had met someone who was labeled 'Eren,' before. Nevertheless, the raven found it oddly charming. There was something about that name that stuck out to Levi..But he didn't know what it was.

As for Eren, he simply smiled, nodding towards the direction of the ebony-haired male. Huh. He must have a meeting with them right after his... How excessively prompt of him. Gesturing for the smaller male to follow, Eren began to make his way out the office, holding the door politely for the ravenette to pass through and then following in due coarse; not wanting to falter behind the other male's seemingly fast speed. Now, Eren had never been the most stable on his feet. In fact, he had broken his arms over three times during his short years. each time due to his tripping over nothing, his own two feet, or just generically falling down the stairs in his casual fashion. And it was in this particular hallway, that there was an overgrown potted plant that Eren had honestly been meaning to trim, but hadn't gotten round to it.

Yet.

The raven had slowed down by this time, now having no damn clue where he was going and keeping a good distance between him and the brunette as he strayed behind So, when he watched Eren swerving around the extremely long leaves of the potted plant, to only hit the wooden, table leg, the young kid fell, instinctively putting his hand up before his face smashed into the hard floor.

Eren was completely mortified that he had let Levi see the whole thing.

The smaller male was quickly pulled out of his thoughts as soon as he saw the taller receptionist began to fall, as if he had tripped over thin air. Levi was currently thankful for all his years dedicated to the army, which had manage to sharpen his reflex skills to an extreme standard. That was very handy at this moment and time, as Levi rushed forward and caught the brunette before he managed to hit the carpeted floor. Levi was very small, but his strength should never be doubted.

"Woah there, you brat. Don't go falling on me, all right? I don't want you having a broken arm on my case or something. You seem extremely fragile, so I wouldn't doubt a few broken limbs could occur from a simple fall." The raven spoke in a stoic tone, yet a hint of care was hidden there. No one ever heard that. Ever. Why Eren - who he had only met a mere few minutes ago? Levi had his hands placed on the boys shoulders, holding him straight so that he could gain his balance back. Who knew a walk to elevator could be so difficult...

With his eyes still squeezed shut and his mind racing from the expected impact of the incoming floor, to say Eren was surprised when there was a tight grip on his shoulders and no pain was a massive understatement. Slowly opening his eyes a crack, the teen turned to look up (for the first time) at Levi, who was staring right at him. The brunette found himself staring as the raven spoke, blushing hard when Levi brought up breaking arms. Leaping to his own defense through his embarrassment, Eren quietly muttered,

''I'm not fragile, just cursed with clumsiness..." Doing his best to ignore the slight dusting of a red tint coating his face warmly, Eren changed the subject by asking about the meetings.

"Umm, I'm supposed to also have a meeting with Hanji and Mr. Smith in a second. I'm not sure whether or not I got my timing wrong or right, but are you ok with waiting out here for a bit? I'm sure I'll be really fast in there. Unless Hanji babbles on course." Smiling faintly, Eren noticed the fact that his shoulders still buzzed from where Levi had gripped them sturdily. Why, he would never know, and planned on not overthinking it and confusing himself. He was already blushing and had tripped in front of the shorter male... Now was not the time to be zoning out.

Even when the raven haired male was more then positive that the other boy had regained his balance on his own two feet, Levi couldn't seem to remove his hands from the small shoulders of the taller brunette.

Somehow, Levi found that Eren's clumsy-ness was somewhat adorable - falling over his own two feet and walking into plant pots and all. Wait- why did he find this boy so /cute/, having only met him a few minutes ago?! He was just so...Unique. His eyes shone beautifully against the bright light of the hallway, reflecting a glamorous green/blue shade that captivated the attention of Levi. And, that intriguing smile... But - wait - what was that? A slight blush tinting the cheeks of the younger male? Levi couldn't help but let a slight, cocky smirk creep onto his pale features. Was that /his/ doing? It took about half a minute for Levi to let go of his strong hold on Eren, finally registering the boy's question in his clouded mind.

''No, I can wait. I'll be fine - thank you, Eren.'' The Raven spoke politely, yet still in the same, monotone, stoic voice. ''As-long as four eyes and angel face don't delay me for to long - I don't even know how I can call them two my best-friends. They know how much I hate them keeping me waiting.'' Levi rolled his eyes as he spoke with a slight sigh. Yes - he had known the two pair of idiots for as long as he could remember. Levi also used to work with them a few years back, helping them on cases that needed to be investigated - but once Levi had joined the army, he hadn't seen the two for years. Now, back in the country again after being relived of his duties, he had been asked to actually get a full time job here - along with a new personal assistant thrown in, too. Seemed like their weird way or persuading him to join again.. God knows who Hanji may have picked out for him; she was always a very devious character.

It was then, that the two male's standing in the hallway were interrupted by the slow creek of the large, wooden door to Erwin's office, and out came a bubbly, chirpy female; leaning her elegant posture against the door frame.

''Ah! Levi! It seems that you have already met your new personal assistant!'' Hanji spoke happily; more happier the necessary, and with that - the raven male's eyes doubled in complete size.

Eren...

This kid...

Was...

His new PA?

It was only a matter of minutes before Levi and the taller brunette boy were sitting in Erwin's office, directly across from Erwin himself behind his broad desk. But Levi didn't fail to notice the slight smirk on his friends face as he looked at himself and Eren. Hanji was right behind Erwin, looking as if she was about to burst from pure excitement. Dammit...Erwin and Hanji were planning something, weren't they? Of course they were. He knew that the pair of his idiotic 'best friends,' knew about his sexuality..But...Really? Put the receptionist as his new PA? They /really/ knew how to welcome him back home... And push his buttons at the same time.

The raven held back a slight sigh. ''You see, Eren. You are perfect for this job. We need someone who is already familiar with the building and gets the gist about how things work around here. You acted as an exceptional personal assistant to me and Hanji many of times in the past, and we both agreed that you'd be perfect for this job.'' Erwin spoke softly, the devious smirk never vanishing from his face. Levi's current expression was one to die for. Something the pair thought they'd never seen in a million years.

''And you fit Levi's requirements!'' Hanji piped up from her stance behind Erwin. Within seconds, the two males watched as Erwin opened a specific folder from under his desk, and took out a small piece of paper - directly handing it to Eren. The white sheet read: 'Just get me someone with nice eyes and an ass I can look at.' Levi rolled his eyes. ''It was a joke.'' The raven spoke, not even bothering to shoot a glance at the brunette as he sat with his arms folded. Although, Levi knew; it wasn't.

There was nothing the young teen could do, besides sit and listen, trying manically to hold back yet another blush; cursed reaction. It was like a slap in the face to his dignity, not that it mattered much anyway. Somehow, he trusted everyone in this room. Obviously, Eren was near ecstatic with the promotion. It was a rare feeling of accomplishment, since he never really had a proper job before. Also, it meant that he got to work with Levi more often. Not that that was a big thing or anything thought Eren as he back tracked his thoughts. He was just a PA, nothing else.

Luckily, the brunette had managed to keep his cool..Well, that was until he was handed a slip of paper and skimmed over the words as they were read to him. In the requirements box was what he assumed to be Levi's near cursive handwriting, spelling out words that must be a joke or something. He didn't really feel he fitted the category, not that it mattered. He could still be the best Personal Assistant he could for Levi; be it that the physical requirements were lacking in his opinion.

Clearing his throat, Eren turned to Levi and asked in a soft voice "I don't suppose you have a second to show me where your office is? Sorry about taking up your time already." Giving a gentle smile, Eren tilted his head to the side a little, a habit he had always had when asking a favor off someone. Guilt played a big part in how Eren acted, so asking was actually a little worrying for him. As they got up to leave, Eren struggled a little to keep up with the ravens pace. Man! How was this dude so fast when he was so... Vertically challenged... Focusing on not tripping again, Eren stared at the back of Levi's head, admiring the neat undercut.

Levi noted that he was walking a little too quickly for Eren, but the brat would just have to learn to keep up in the future. The long, seemingly endless corridor to the elevator at the end of the hallway led to where Levi vaguely remembered his way to his old office; which Hanji said she hadn't even /touched/ since he had been away. Levi would rather his office to be full of dust and cobwebs, then for the brunette female to clean it up herself..Her cleaning skills were probably better not being used in the first place.

The raven haired male could hear the taller, younger male trailing behind him; constantly making sure he could keep up with Levi's speed. Levi smirked ever so slightly, now deciding to answer the kid's question once they were away from the prying eyes of Hanji and Erwin. Who knows what the pair were trying to ge out of this...

''Of course, brat. I don't expect you to know where my office is out of thin air.'' Levi spoke in his now usual, stoic tone once more; a voice in which Eren was probably quickly growing accustomed to. The older of the two messed with the ends of his blazer sleeve, making sure that it fully covered his arms to prevent any unwanted exposure of his pale skin. His time at war was something Levi hated to recall, or even just think about in the depths of his own mind. But, the raven pushed the overpowering thoughts away as he entered the rather small, confined space of the elevator, with Eren quickly following at his side with a small pant.

''Floor seventeen. Pretty high up, but it it will have to do.'' Levi spoke slowly, remembering the exact floor and room Hanji had reminded him about a couple of days prior after he got back into the country, in-case he happened to forget.

''I'm afraid you'll have to press the button though, Eren. I'm not touching some panel that most likely hasn't been cleaned in years.'' The raven added shortly after- Ah, Levi's first sign of being a germaphobe. The smaller male gazed at Eren as he selected the correct floor as the older had instructed, and Levi couldn't help but find himself staring. Yup, the brunette did have a good ass indeed. Yet, he'd never admit that. But as soon as the lift gave a slight jolt, and made an aching noise which resembled the creek of some gears, Levi had to steady himself. Yet another way Erwin and Hanji had to tease him... Of course his best friends knew about his /small/ fear of elevators... Levi didn't even know why, he just hated the damn things. And his ''friends,'' just /had/ to give him one of the highest floors in the first place...

Eren was once again standing next to his new 'boss,' and Levi breathed in a sharp breath. It's ok Levi...It will all be over in a few seconds...However, in those few seconds. Levi found himself slowly edging closer to his new personal assistant, and let out a small groan of frustration as he gripped the edge of the brunette's sleeve, closing his eyes in slight panic which he forced himself not to show. He had built his walls up for so long - why was he already feeling...Somewhat safe around this brown-haired teenager..?

The brunette noticed that Levi's office happened to be a very long way up; that was where all the important people were situated. He must be exceptional at his work... Eren snuck a glance at the male in question, before feeling his eyes widen fractionally at what he saw. Levi was tense, and had his arms balled into fists with a white knuckle grip on them. His eyes were closed, and his bangs hung forward as he let out a little groan. Then, as if he was terrorized, long slender fingers outstretched and grasped tightly onto Eren's jacket sleeve... Eren didn't know he had a protective side, but it went into immediate over-drive at this point.

"Hey, man, it's ok. It's just a lift, we'll be out soon." Eren felt his own fingers slip through his sleeve and entwine with Levi's; clasping their hands together in a comforting manner.

As soon as Levi felt the slender, small fingers slip through the gaps into between his own, it took a few moments for the raven to realize that Eren...Was holding his hand. Levi couldn't pinpoint why, but this made the small raven feel much, /much/ more comfortable then he was prior. His breathing began to relax, and his muscles became less tense then they previously were. Soon enough, the shorter male found himself leaning his forehead on-top of the brunette's shoulder, as the lift took them up to the 17th floor..A little smile was able to edge it's way onto Levi's porcelain features, but he was honestly thankful his head was to buried into the taller male's shoulder for him to notice his true emotions.

The emotions he had took so long to mask a facade.

Five seconds later, the lift stopped to a complete halt, and the surprising jolt acted once again. The two joined men were about to walk out of the lift, which Levi was ever so thankful for..

But then, it finally hit Eren.

Holy hell he was holding /Levi's/ hand.

Quickly letting go of the Ravens hand and jerking the seemingly heavy limb backwards, Eren felt his confidence reach for the shining stars as he ran his now free fingers through his hair.

"H-hey, sorry 'bout that. Y'see, I have this friend, Armin, and he gets scared and all so I kinda acted on insti- " Eren dared look at Levi's face, which had a perfectly arched eyebrow, then he realized what he had said. "O-oh! I s-swear! I didn't think you were scared! I just... The brunette trailed off, hiding his face in his hands in shame, biting them a little in an attempt to hold back the tears threatening to fall. This was all... A little too much. "L-lets just go to the office, yeah?" Eren stalked off before Levi could answer, promptly turning the wrong way unintentionally.

Levi noticed how much the young teenager seemed to panic, just from a simple motion of holding someone's hand. The panic seemed to increase in the other male's eyes once he started blabbering and tripping over his own words, and Levi had to bite his lower lip to hold back a chuckle. This guy was such a child.

''I hate elevators...'' Levi groaned, stepping out of the confined lift before Eren started to come up with excuses for his actually very comforting actions.

'I'm not a child, either..'' Levi retorted. But when Eren pulled back his arm, Levi spoke softly in a small whisper; ''but thank you.''

Though, the raven could clearly see the utter terror in the taller male's actions, and even rushed in the wrong way to his office without thinking. The smaller quickly grabbed Eren's thin wrist before he could move any further towards the wrong direction.

''Hey, brat, you're going the wrong wa-'' But Levi couldn't finish his sentence, because what he saw when Eren turned to face him was eyes that looked like were about to cry. Eren was really that shaken up...?

''Hey, hey...Eren, stop worrying, ok? You really helped me, alright?'' Levi spoke in attempt to convince Eren everything was alright, also noting how he didn't call him 'brat,' this time. Was the young boy really that scared of him already...? Scared of messing up for his new, 'boss?' Did Levi really have that aura located around him...?

The raven softly glided his hand from Eren's wrist, and instead trailed it up to place his delicate fingertips on Eren's shoulder, allowing a small smile to take place on his face as if to assure Eren everything /was/ alright and he had not a thing to worry about at all.

Yes, Levi had a much more gentle side to him...Which no one ever saw. But...Why Eren...? Why so early...? 


	2. Chapter 2

Eren's P.O.V

Eren felt the soothing, comforting hand on his shoulder, and just felt... Protected? No that wasn't the right word. More like... Eren's thoughts trailed off, as he saw Levi smile. Smile. /smile/. Not smirk, not grimace, but just a small, soft, angelic smile that lifted the shorter mans face completely. Eren now took note of how devastatingly stunning Levi truly was. He held himself straight, and had skin so pale that you would assume that he spent too little time in the sun. But on closer inspection, you could see that he was healthy, and simply had naturally porcelain skin. Levi's dark bangs hung down by the side of his face, framing his cheekbones perfectly; the color of the hair so dark that it almost seemed blue in some lights. And his eyes... They were as grey as the stormiest of clouds, and yet could hold care and concern - which the older male was clearly not used to showing. Eren's eyes softened a little, at how both him and Levi had unusual eyes, but Levi clearly had the good side of unusual.

He himself, however, seemed to get a pigment mutation at birth. The reason Eren covered the golden one with a contact and not the blue green one was simple. The golden one was his fathers. The other, belonging to his mothers. He was proud to be his loving mothers son. He would have disowned himself from his fathers side had he been given the choice to do so.

Un-subconsciously, Eren reached up and placed his hand over his left eye, the regretful look on his face soon to be replaced with a shaky smile, and an of course, an excuse.

"Heh. Sorry about that. I'm a bit off today, but tomorrow, i'll be alright again. " Smiling at the only just concealed relief in Levi's eyes, Eren shook his head, clearing his thoughts a little. After giving his eye a little rub, he put his his arms down by his sides, as did Levi. It was then That the brunette realized that were Levi's hand had bee on his shoulders, there was a slight tingling sensation. A /tingling sensation/. What the hell! What the HELL?! Eren glanced at Levi. He couldn't-no. But did he- no. But he was in fact- NONONO.

There was an obvious, bloody battle of arguments going on in Eren's head, and it would appear reason, which was screaming at him to go home, had been brutally murdered by instinct..While sensibility just sat and watched with popcorn in hand.

"Well, if it's ok with you, I'd like to see your office, and then we should probably head home. After all, it it nearly... HOLY HELL ITS 11:21! ARMIN'S GONNA KILL ME!" And with that Eren was gone yelling a faint "Sorry Levi!" As he went.

Levi's P.O.V

The raven could feel the taller males gaze cascading over his pale face - normally, Levi would be absolutely disgusted by this type of unwanted attention.. But, the smaller man couldn't help but stare /right back/ at the beautiful, shining eyes that belong to the adorable brunette. He was more tan then Levi himself, but his skin looked so smooth and soft that Levi had to resit the urge to outstretch his hand and stroke the desirable skin on his cute, slightly tinted cheeks. His unruled, yet dark brown hair fitted around his face perfectly, and the way his fringe hung over part's of his face had Levi staring even more. His bluey-green eyes resembled the colors of the earth itself, and it reminded Levi of a scene that painted itself in his mind: a stunningly open meadow, surrounded by flowing grass and clear, blue skies. Eren's eyes were truly something special, but if Levi looked close enough, he swore he could of seen what looked like contacts...As if it was glazed over, or some sort.

So..He was right earlier about Eren being too clumsy to wear glasses? The raven softly bit the inside of his mouth to prevent smirking wider, or perhaps letting out a little chuckle in the process. Once again, Eren rubbed over his left eye to confirm Levi's suspicions. However, once the black haired male's hand fell from the other's shoulder, the warmth that seemed to be travelling through his body after he touched Eren disappeared, and the smirk which happened to occur on Levi's face vanished. Wait- no...He couldn't be- he wasn't already falling in love with- no...!

Before Levi could even react on the sentences that managed to leave Eren's mouth, he was already shooting of down the corridor. ''That kid...'' Levi breathed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose as his head constantly pounded with immense thoughts. Erwin and Hanji were /absolutely/ loving this..

~Time Skip~

Eren happened to wake up in a small puddle of drool, slumped over his endless amount of study books. He had been doing his assignments until two in the morning last night...

Ugh.

Lifting his heavy head and groaning at his sore, stiff neck, he looked about.

No Armin. Where could he be...?

Eren saw the clock. 7:45. He had fifteen minutes to get to work and work was /10 minuets away/.

Eren had never moved so fast in all his life.

Levi was going to kill him, and dance on his dead corpse for hours after.

Seven minutes later, Eren was in his suit trousers and pulling his formal jacket over his crumpled, un ironed shirt and had gotten his shoes tied. Grabbing a dark, blue tie and his handy satchel, Eren ran to work - not bothering with the lift and legging it up the stairs three at a time. He never knew he could be so damn energetic...

Bursting through the office doors and breathing heavily as he did so, Eren's chest was rising and falling under his buttoned shirt at a rapid pace. Eren looked up for a brief moment to see Levi standing in front of him; one delicate eyebrow raised on his forehead. Eren stood, running a hand through his windswept hair and straightening his crooked tie. He noticed Levi had turned away from him, and was rummaging through his desk draws; clearly looking for something that he needed. Levi then straightened, turning to Eren with a selection of papers in his hand, and opened his mouth as if to saw something; but froze.

Eren tilted his head to the side at Levi's expression, completely baffled and not understanding what had shocked the small ravenette to a certain extent. Why was he staring at Eren? Did he have something on his face? Maybe his shirt wasn't buttoned properly or something..

The brown haired male then looked down, and saw that nothing was obviously wrong - and then checked his slightly long hair with his hands; pushing the chocolate locks away from his eyes.

/His eyes/.

Oh. Holy hell.

His eyes.

He wasn't wearing his green contact.

Levi on the other hand, had already been standing in his office a good fifteen minutes before Eren was supposed to turn up. He stood at his wooden, vast desk - fixing his pure black tie and straining his work jacket. As soon as the bubbly brunette happened to burst through the door with labored breath and his body heaving frantically, Levi couldn't help but raise a curious eyebrow. The brat must have overslept and been on the very edge of becoming late.

First day on the job,and Eren was already panicking about everything. The raven held back a quiet chuckle, as he turned on his heel to rummage through his desk draws. But, once he found the papers he wanted and turned back to the direction where the taller male was standing, Levi felt his draw drop ever so slightly, along with the widening of his grey colored eyes.

Levi once again was staring at the brunette for the god-knows-how-manieth-time, but this time - he noticed a big, significant change towards what his personal assistant looked like yesterday. Behind his locks of seemingly soft, brown hair..Levi could see the distinct different colors of his eyes - one being the same as the day before; a bluey-green shade, and the other.. The other was a bright, shining golden one, which reflected beautifully from the perfect lightning of the room.

So, Levi was right.. He did have contacts.. But.. For a completely different reason towards what he originally thought. It wasn't for glasses to help the kid see. No...It was for the difference on his eye color. To keep them the same shade.

Eren most likely thought Levi was totally disgusted by the true color of his eyes from the way he was staring intently.. But in fact, the little raven was completely thinking the exact opposite. He couldn't pull his eyes away from Eren - the boy was now even more unique then he thought prior, and as for his "nice eyes," checklist? Oh yeah - Eren had the most /stunning/ eyes Levi ever had the privilege to look upon.

Clearing his throat, the smaller of the two quickly pulled his gaze away, straightening up the papers in his pale hands; happy he had long learned how to not get a silly paper cut by doing so.

"I need you to give these to Hanji, for me, as soon as possible." Levi managed to speak, forcing himself not to make eye contact with the boy as he swallowed the lump that happened to rise in his throat.

Eren had gone into a state of pure and utter shock. The world around him seemed to slow, as he realized that he had just revealed his secret deformity to the person that for some reason, meant to most to him at the time.

Eren could do nothing. No amount of trying to cover his eye with his hand could right this, and he was nothing short of mentally freaking out. Levi was way to smart to try and believe any of the young teenagers excuses now.

The brunette male had experienced years.. /Years/, of people judging him for his different colored eyes. Some just completely avoided him, and some didn't care. Some saw it as a valid reason to go as far as to get violent against Eren, and some... Well, some chose to make the boys life a living misery with their malice. The young teen guessed that that's what the world did to you when you were different.

Glancing back up at the man who must hate him now, Eren simply nodded, and grabbed the papers, leaving to room without looking Levi in the eyes. That was all the taller male could find the power to do. Eren closed the door behind him quietly and slipped out into the corridor,, shoes padding softly on the carpeted floor. Eren ducked into a bathroom, and put down the papers. He always kept a spare pair of contacts in his bag, if he just put them in, then maybe he could pretend it never happened and put it down to Levi seeing things in the light or something...

Damn it!

He had left his bag in Levi's office. Eren stepped out the bathroom after pulled his hair in front of his cursed eye and quickly stuffed the papers into Hanji's and Erwin's pigeon hole 'things.'

Speed walking down the endless corridor before someone saw him, Eren looked into Levi's office , seeing that the smaller raven wasn't there at that given moment and time. Slipping in, Eren grabbed his satchel containing the lenses and turned around, only to bump right into the person he was trying to avoid, Levi; knocking them both to the floor below them.

Levi had only popped out of his cozy office for a mere few seconds, before he returned to be surprisingly knocked of his own two feet by a certain brunette boy. Tumbling to the floor, the raven's eyes widened once more as he saw the Eren clutching his satchel close to his chest, his eyes full of panic and anxiety. His hair was mostly covering his face though, so the raven couldn't see the beautiful, fascinating golden eye that he had saw earlier; that had intrigued him greatly.. Eren probably had spare contacts in his bag and was trying to avoid all human contact at this point..

Pulling himself to his feat and regaining his own balance, Levi slowly outstretched a slender arm to offer a hand to the taller boy; knowing he could easily pull the other up without effort.

As the other male did indeed accept the help, Levi accidentally pulled his personal assistant a bit to close to his own body in the process, and the smaller raven felt his own breath hitch in his throat for a couple of seconds at the proximity of their sudden closeness. Never the less, Levi quickly snapped out of his daze and regained his stoic, confident facade rather quickly.

Eren felt a faint blush dust his cheeks as he felt himself get pulled up and be positioned practically in Levi's arms. Levi had pulled him up as if he weighed nothing! How strong was the man? What on earth did he do in his free time? Eren's voice hitched as he felt his hands press against Levi's chest to balance himself, Levi was completely /solid/. Eren blushed more, and backed off a little, putting his hands on his bag strap.

"Thank you for that, Eren." The black haired male spoke, referring to Eren fulfilling his first job Levi had gave him. But before the older let the younger male leave to fix his appearance, he quickly spoke:

"Oh, and Eren? That golden eye of yours is very unique.. It truly fits you well. In my opinion, you really don't need contacts." Levi spoke softly, even though, if he was going to be completely honest, he would of said how absolutely beautiful Eren looked.. But once again, his emotion barrier was built up, and he didn't want to scare the younger male or something similar right now. That was the last thing Levi intended to do.

When Levi complimented his eyes.. Eren felt his mind cast back to when his mother used to compliment him all the time, and say that he was like a 'little angle'. His father, how ever, seemed to avoid the topic as much as he possibly could; seemingly not 'appreciating' his sons 'special' trait... But then, Eren guessed, what is there to like? Levi was probably only being polite, and acting from how caring he was on the inside, and...

Eren snapped out of his thoughts, and nodded his thanks to Levi in appreciation.

"Umm, thanks, sir. I guess I just... Y'know..." Eren trailed off a little. What exactly could he say?

"I hope that you don't mind, but I'm going to keep the lense in. I'm not quite comfortable with people I don't trust fully seeing it. It wouldn't shock me if they didn't take it to well." Eren showed Levi a smile, hoping that Levi didn't take what he said the wrong way - he didn't think of Levi as a stranger, just the other people in the building.. If anyone else saw, Eren had not a clue what he would do. And then, he dashed into the nearest bathroom, applied the cover, and ran back out again within no time. He was use to putting the contact in on a daily basis, after all.

Breathing slightly louder from running so quickly, Eren finally felt ready to speak again.

"Ok! I'm ready for work now and stuff. What can I do?" As Levi made his decision, Eren found himself gazing at the smaller male once again. He seemed so... Distant. Like he was hiding something. Well, the teen figured he'd just have to wait and find out.


	3. Chapter 3

''Of course I don't mind, Eren. I want you to feel comfortable while you work for me - i'm not here to pull you out of your own comfort zone.'' Levi spoke once again in his soft tone, but still hardly any emotion was shown in his speech. Though, he continued calling the young male by his name, instead of some silly nickname the raven could come up with for the time being. Especially in moments like this..Levi just felt the urge to demonstrate to the brunette teen how much he cared.

He just wanted Eren to stop worrying so much about messing up, or his appearance, or something else that would probably occur in the time he and Eren were seeing eachother five days a week at work. Why was he caring so much already, just in the span of knowing the kid for under a day...? Levi couldn't answer that question. But for now, the small raven decided to divert from the subject and not ponder on a conversation the brunette obviously felt uncomfortable with.

The day went on as usual; Levi giving his actually very amazing personal assistant several jobs, in which Eren was always happy on his feet; unlike his job of being a receptionist. He was exceptional at every task Levi had given him.

The hours past by like they were completely nothing, and before they both knew it, the work day was drawing to a final close.

Levi was sitting on his office chair, his legs propped up on his desk casually as he read through a folder which Hanji and Erwin had handed to him earlier on. It was information on Eren - just basic things, like the boys birthday and what not. It was then that the raven noticed that Eren's birthday was actually /tomorrow/... It was a Friday. Levi couldn't make him work then... Just as the thought entered his mind, Eren trotted back into the smaller male's office with a bright smile on his features. Yeah, the raven really loved the teen's smile. Levi watched as the boy approached him once again.

''Hey, brat, it's your birthday tomorrow - right?''

And he was back to the nicknames.

Eren had had a long day. Levi may be small, but man did he have a big list of things for Eren to do. He always requested Eren to complete them politely though, so the younger brunette felt no resentment towards the smaller male. By the end of the day, Eren was worn out, but happy. He had helped Levi, and he had got to spend that whole day with him. Not that that meant anything. It's not like he was- NO. Don't go there mind. Now is not the time. Eren was just content that his first day on the job was a successful once, especially for someone of the ranks of Levi.

Then Eren heard Levi address him. Eren may not like the nickname bestowed on him, but he was just happy Levi was talking to him, and not just blanking him as another colleague. It meant that Eren had almost grown to like the word, in a way.. However, when Levi said his name... Butterflies migrated into the depths of the teenager's stomach. Looking up at Levi, Eren offered a "hm?" As conformation he had heard.

'It's your birthday tomorrow, right?' Oh. How had Levi found out about that? Then Eren caught sight of the papers on Levi's desk, and guessed that they were his information files. Eren wasn't sure how much information was on them, but decided not to worry about that for the time being. He doubted it would have his school records or anything, as he recalled leaving one of his schools because of certain ass holes who didn't know when to stop. Nodding his head in affirmation to Levi's question, Eren wondered what he wanted to know for. Eren had never been one for big celebrations or anything, just maybe a nice dinner, going out to a pub with friends. Y'know. The normal stuff for a teenager at his age. This time, he had planned on going to this small bar near his apartment, called Titan Beats. Kinda a stupid name, but the man who ran it was a stupid person. His name was Jean, and he looked like a horse and kept on relentlessly hitting on Mikasa, his adoptive sister, even after she /distinctly/ told him no, in the form of a solid punch to the face. That was a good day, thought Eren as he fondly recalled the happy memories.

"Yeah, it's tomorrow. Why?"

As Levi watched the brunette's eyes casting down towards the files on his desk, the small raven guessed that Eren probably understood what the several amounts of paper were, considering he was asking about his personal assistants birthday, completely out of no where. However, he could see a slight hint of fear in the boy's eyes, as if he was worried there would be information that he didn't want Levi to know... The raven understood that there was probably a lot more to Eren that Levi was yet to find out. It was actually very similar vise versa, as well. Never-the-less, the smaller of the two proceeded with the subject; he wouldn't read on in the files if Eren clearly didn't want him to; the younger male could tell Levi anything else when he was ready to do so. After all, the ebony haired male did consider himself a patient person.

''I don't want to make you work on your birthday. Plus, it's a Friday - so, please, have the evening off, alright? Have some fun with your friends or something, I don't know what you teenagers do on their birthdays anymore.'' Levi let out a soft chuckle; it was like he was referring that he was quite old, yet he was only in his mid twenties. Levi pushed himself away from the wooden desk, pulling his legs from the smooth surface and setting them back down on the carpeted floor. Standing up, the black haired male walked around his desk, so that he was right infront of the brunette. Levi couldn't help but fix his gaze back on Eren's eyes. He couldn't believe just how /god damn beautiful/ the taller boy's eyes looked without the fake, unneeded and unnecessary contacts. He was honestly the most fascinating, unique and stunningly handsome man he had ever rested his eyes on. If anyone had the nerve to ever insult Eren's actual eye color infront of him- shit would very much hit the fan. And even within the mere two day's he's known Eren, his personality stood out that it brought a whole ray of sunshine into the gloomy Levi's life. That was part of the reason Levi figured he was so drawn to the male.. Eren seemed so pure and unlike anyone he had met before his life; and that drew the raven's curiosity in.

Though, how he wished that he could just brush the oh so soft looking brown locks from the delicate male's face, and get a better look at his /real/ eyes... That was honestly one of the most attractive things Levi ever considered from a human being. Oh damn - Levi was falling in love with his Personal Assistant.. And he couldn't stop it. God damn Hanji and Erwin... They /really/ got his type all right.

An afternoon off, huh? That did sound good to Eren. He could spend more time with Armin and Mikasa in the case, as he had been ignoring them a little recently.. Armin was always gone really early in the morning, and it was unpredictable when he would get back. He was gaining experience at this science institute thingy, and so was always doing something to keep his busy brain, well..Busy. But that was ok, so long as he was happy and healthy in the process.

Mikasa, however, seemed always at home. She wouldn't explain what her job was, or even what she was doing, only that it took precedence over all social activities including classes. This was odd, but then again, Mikasa had always been able to protect herself (and occasionally Eren and Armin) when necessary. The black-haired female kept to herself an awful lot, and she was the strongest of the three physically by far. Armin, the strongest academically, and Eren... Eren didn't really have time to find his strength. He was always too busy with work, or classes, or staying out of sight from the idiots who taunted him, or just generally trying to stay awake. I guess you could say Eren felt somewhat lost and distant. But, odd as it seemed, Eren found that Levi had kinda given him a little motivation almost; perhaps like he was starting to be guided onto the right path. How weird. Even /Armin/ couldn't convince Eren to try sometimes. What was different about Levi? The it hit him like a baseball bat to the face.

Eren had fallen in love with his boss.

DAMN IT EREN. NO YOU HAVEN'T.

He is just incredibly good looking. And kind..And caring.. And so soo misunderstood...

AWW HELL NO.

RIGHT. ITS MENTAL CONFESSION TIME.

Eren Jaeger, you are in love with your boss, but, what are you going to do about it? The correct answer is..

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Just act normal. Then Eren realized he hadn't spoken in ages, and snapped out of his dazed trance; looking down at Levi as he stood and finally spoke:

''Really? Are you sure? Because that would be great. But only if it's not an inconvenience to you or anything...I don't mind being here if you need the help."

Levi noticed meanwhile though, that the younger male seemed to be in some sort of weird thought process; as if he was deeply thinking about something in the depths of his mind. It took him a while to react on Levi's proposal after all, but the taller brunette quickly snapped back to reality and spoke in his soft, gentle tone which was quite literally music to the small ravens ears.

''More then positive, Eren. I want you to spend some time with your friends or family; who ever you are close with.'' Levi once again, smiled, which was becoming a lot more common when he was around the other male... He couldn't help it, Eren just... Did that to him. Eren made him happy; truly happy for the first time in quite a long time.

He obviously had massive respects to his time in the war, but, it really did change the way Levi acted around people. He wouldn't let himself become emotionally attached to anyone, in fear of loosing them...And now, even back in the, 'real world,' Levi's stoic façade still held his body and emotions captive. The shorter, yet older raven was rather collected and quiet, even before he went to the war, but the drastic experience multiplied his lonesome mask even more.

Realizing that this time, he was the one lost in his mind just like Eren was a mere few second ago, Levi cleared his throat and shook his head. The next day couldn't come soon enough..He needed to get his many thoughts collected and straight.

The next day arose, and the quiet afternoon came around quite quickly, and Levi just finished filling out some of his papers in his office once again before he locked the large, wooden door with his personal keys and began to descend down the stairs of the building. He wouldn't take the elevator without Eren in his company... No way.

Nevertheless, the raven knew that Eren was probably out by now with some of his friends to celebrate his birthday. So, Levi had actually made some miniature plans of his own. He had decided to invite an old friend to a nearby bar/club to catch up on any new news and what had been going on since he left for the war; considering that he hadn't spoken to many of his few friends since he left.

That specific friend in mind was a small, rather cute girl named Petra - who had always acted like a sister to Levi since childhood. They had no sort of romantic relationship or anything like that - they were just extremely close; similar to how siblings would be. In fact, Petra was the first person to learn about Levi's sexuality, as the black haired male quite literally trusted the strawberry blonde female with his life. So, here they were, sitting in a small club named 'Titan Beats,' in the corner of the room(towards Levi's liking - very much out the way..), smiling and laughing as they caught up with one another.

But what Levi didn't know, was that a particular personal assistant was in the same /same bar/, and particularly shit-faced might I add.

Eren had been at the bar with Armin and Mikasa a mere twelve minuets before it all went horrendously wrong.

Turns out, a large group of the douches from collage tend to show at the bar on Fridays to 'scout' for women as they seem to idiotically put it. Eren and his friends decided to completely ignore the gaggle of cretins gathered across the room, but, of course, Murphy's law.

"Oi, is that the kid from school with the messed up face?" One of the boys voices carried across the room lazily, as it was slurred from the obvious excessive alcohol consumption. Eren had only had one drink, for the time being.

"Oh, yeah. That one with the messed up eyes! Remember, cus he tried to like, cover it up with a lens or somethin'. Hah! Let's go have some fun lads" The four tall teens sauntered over without another moments hesitation; staggering slightly due to their drummed stupor. Eren glanced across the table to Armin, giving a curt nod to Mikasa.

This was not the first time that this had happened.

Time for plan A. Sit and ignore.

"Hey, Jaeger. How y'doin today, huh? Still got the screwed up face?" Eren clenched his fist under the table and averted his eyes; most of his hair seeming to cover them in the first place. Eren may not have anger management issues, but he /sure/ didn't handle stupid people well at all.

"Oi, I'm talking to you, brat." That struck a chord. Only Levi was allowed to call him that. Eren looked at Mikasa, signaling plan B.

Stand and leave.

Armin, Mikasa, and Eren stood in union, but before they could leave, the main asshole put a hand on Eren's shoulder roughly, shoving him back into his seat.

"Hey, I'm not done talking to you, fuck-face." Then, Mikasa got scary. And very quickly she did, too. She swept out a foot and caught him square in the jaw; sending him reeling into the corner - scaring the others enough to make them back away.

"Hey hey hey, no fighting in my bar! Get out you lot!" Horse faces voice rang out from the bar, holding a tone of authority as all of the ass-holes scrambled out with their tails in-between their legs. Metaphorically, of course.

"Mikasa, Armin, go. It's fine, I plan on getting hammered and calling a taxi home anyway. But thanks." Eren nodded and smiled at the two.

"Eren, no, it your birthday-"

Eren shook his head, and cut the blonde male off with a hand on the small shoulder.

"Armin, I'm not going to be any fun tonight anyway. I'm just dragging you both around. Go home and chill. " Eren turned and sat back at the bar before Armin could begin argue, and once the two had left, following he gaggle of gormless idiots, the brunette let out a long sigh.

Several drinks later, Eren had his head on the table and his mind felt as if it was stuffed with cotton. This was a bad day for the brunette. Lifting his head a little, Eren saw a familiar figure across the room. Before he could think, Eren felt hands of sleep pull him down, and promptly passed out on the table within a moment later.

Levi was distracted from his pleasant conversation with his old best-friend, by the overpowering sound of loud voices and stupid insults coming from the other end of the small bar. Probably some teenagers trying to cause some argument for fun or something.. From the corner of the ravens eye, Levi could only make out a group of very tall men, who seemed to be confronting a smaller group sitting at a table. But, however, Levi couldn't see anything behind the height of the men; as they resembled a frikin wall from how tall they were. Though, he could make out a few of the pathetic remarks that reached his sensitive ears: something along the lines of a, ''fucked-up face.''

The black haired male rolled his eyes in disgust - he'd seen enough of this during his time in high school, and it still proceeded to carry on even now. It was like the human race was becoming progressively dumber, if that were even possible in the first place. It appalled Levi to see how disgraceful people treat one another. There was no need for all this bullying and arguments that seemed to spread like wildfire - but he was quickly snapped out of his thoughtful state as the calm voice of Petra pierced through his mind.

''Are you alright, Levi? Something seems to be bugging you. You've been distracted for a little while.'' The young woman said, smiling as she said so. She was always so caring.

''Yeah, i'm fine Petra - just some bickering going on in the corner over there-'' The small raven replied, sticking a delicate finger from the hand that was resting under his chin in the direction the group of tall male's were standing.

''Oh, I heard that too - I can't believe the bar owner is letting them get away with this...'' It wasn't long though before Levi spotted a black-haired girl kick one of the gigantic guys directly in his face. That sure as hell got the men kicked out then. But the owner didn't kick the woman out...Hm, perhaps he had some sort of attraction to her? She was clearly the one being physically aggressive here. Levi laughed slightly to himself, and forced his eyes to drag away from the scene and revert back to catching up with Petra - but after another twenty minutes or so, the young woman's cab had arrived and Levi saw her out as it was time for her to leave for the evening; waving and smiling with a kind smile plastering her light features Petra was such a lovely girl - Levi had no idea how such a bubbly and bright woman had the patience to put up with his boring and gloomy self. Levi figured that she was Humanity's Kindest.

That, once again brought his thoughts back at Eren. He already endured Levi's stoic personality for a couple of days; surely he must be getting on the brown-haired teenager's nerves by now.

That god damn boy plagued his thoughts - he just wouldn't seem to escape from his mind. Levi was still sitting in the corner after Petra left, sipping on his un-finished, non-alcoholic drink, as his eyes scanned the beer-intoxicated room. It was getting late, and there were hardly any people left in the area by now. But what Levi did /not/ expect to see was a certain personal assistant sitting at the bar, his head crashed on the counter - looking very shitfaced and passed out. That certain brunette, was in fact, Eren. No doubt about it.

''God dammit... That kid.'' Levi whispered to himself, rolling his eyes and chuckling as he pushed himself of from his seat and made his way next to the young teen, pulling up a stool next to him. Yup - Eren was well and truly out; that much was obvious to even the dumbest of humanity.

''Hey, brat...C'mon, wake up.'' Levi softly spoke, making a move to place his hand on the kids firm shoulder. It was then that the raven released he was smiling - smiling because of Eren. Just his /very presence/, even unconscious, made the frown on Levi's features quite literally turn upside down.

The older male's thoughts wandered right back to the quarrel he recalled earlier. Wait...Were those guys...Picking on Eren and his friends, that had most likely left by now...? Wait - that's why they said ''fucked-up face,'' right? Because of Eren's eyes...

The raven clenched his fists in anger - if only he had known right then and there that it was Eren... How dare they even say that to /his/ PA! Levi swore to himself, that if he ever saw those men again... He wouldn't let them get away with what they said to the brunette, on his birthday! Eren's eyes were honestly the most beautiful thing Levi ever had the privilege to lay his eyes upon.. God damn, was Levi protective. Heck, he was the only person allowed to label Eren as a 'brat,' too.

On-the-other-hand, Eren's vision swam as he pulled himself to consciousness. He knew he was still /exceptionally/ drunk, and in his stupor, he could have sworn that he felt a hand on his shoulder. Opening his eyes a crack, Eren saw a blinding light and winced at how bright it seemed all of a sudden. Then, a silhouette came into focus, it was... His boss.

On a normal day, Eren would have blushed and apologized for his state, maybe walked home after. But today... He was about as drunk as it gets; and 'normal,' wasn't exactly the correct term to describe it as.

As if to illustrate this point, Eren gave out a giggle. Levi looks all funny with then light shinning behind him. Like a star. Maybe a sun. Looking up, for the first time, Eren met his gaze with Levi's.

"You look funny. You're all /shimmery/ like a biiiiiiiiig sun." Eren's voice slurred the word bug as he spoke, clearly he was not functioning as he should. "Y'know, Levi, you are kinda like a sun. Only you are tiny tiny tiny and the sun is big big big." Eren hiccuped. "You have this big impact in people, but just as you start to warm up to them, you disappear..." Eren suddenly looked sad. Levi looked concerned.

"No no, it okay!" Eren put a lazy arm on the Ravens shoulder, not actually bothering to lift his head off the table. "I still love you! Even if you are kinda dark sometimes." Then Eren's brow creased, had he just said he loved him? Something in his foggy head was saying he shouldn't have said that. Eren pushed it away.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Don't tell Levi I said that, Ok?" Eren looked seriously into Levi's eyes, clearly forgetting who he was talking to.

"Levi would be sooooo mad if he found out. I mean, he must get it all the time though. Have you ever seen him? He has this hair, which is so black it sometimes looks like utter darkness, but it's so shiny, I really want to touch it sometimes." Eren continued with his description of the man next to him, completely unaware of what he was doing. He used lots of words that he would normally never say, and his voice softened towards the end.

"So yeah. Basically, he is stunning. That's why he is a sun." Eren looked up again. "But you promise you can't tell him, right? You swear? Because you look like the type of person who would know him. Anyway, thank you stranger person. I like talking to you." Eren then proceeded to pass out /again/ on the table, snoring faintly, leaving a stunned Levi, who hadn't said a word throughout the whole ordeal, mostly because Eren hadn't given his an opportunity to, but also because of other reasons unknown to the boy.

Levi listened to very single slurred word that left the hardly awake brunettes mouth. But, the small raven found himself unable to reply, as he was in complete and utter shock.

However, even though Eren didn't even know that he was actually speaking to /Levi/ right now, but, the words that left his assistants mouth, made Levi understand just the way the boy see's him - and probably a lot of other people, as well. After all, people said the truth came out when you were drunk as all hell.

The way the brunette compared the black haired male to the sun, and how the resemblance impacted him.. Eren's hand was hanging on his shoulder, and the warmth once again seemed to spread throughout Levi's cold body just from the brunettes small palm. The raven swore, that if he wasn't in a bar full of people, he probably would of teared up at the way the cute little drunkie described him - and he never cried at anything. After his time in the war and seeing nothing but utter destruction and death, Eren was quietly literally /his/ little ray of sunshine in his life. Little? No- no no no, Eren was his /big/ ray of sunshine who made him the most happiest person alive. Even when he described Levi as being small - which he was constantly nagged about by his friends - Levi couldn't help but chuckle ever so slightly; no way could he be offended by the brunette. He'd normally kick anyone else into next week who'd say that to him...

But no. Not Eren.

Not after he told him...That he loves him.

Eren...loved him?

No, of course he didn't, it was just the alcohol talking, right...? Levi didn't even realize that the taller male had passed out once again. God damn, that kid..He couldn't leave him alone here this late at night.. And it was his birthday, too. Eren deserved a much better evening then this.

The raven stood up from his wooden stool at the counter, and slowly picked up the drunken brunette in his arms in a bridal style manor - ignoring the several looks that he had gathered for doing so. Making sure his hook was secure under Eren's legs, Levi began walking out of the bar - managing to get the younger brunette buckled into the passenger seat of the older male's car in the small parking lot.

Levi could hear the soft and steady breathing of the young boy, passing through his thin, pink lips. The shorter of the two didn't even have a faint idea of where Eren lived, and the boy looked too peaceful to be woken up. Heck, he probably wouldn't wake up if the raven even tried. So, Levi drove them both to his apartment, deciding it would be the best place for Eren right now considering he had no where else to go.

Once they arrived after a few minute drive, Levi once again scooped the brunette up into his arms, closing the car door with his skilled foot. Levi lived on the fourth floor, so normally, he'd just use to the stairs - but he didn't want to risk loosing his balance and dropping the fragile male in his arms. Levi seemed to hold Eren even closer to him as he hesitantly walked into the elevator, struggling to press the button, but somehow managing.

With Eren...Everything would be okay.

If this is what happened everytime he let the kid have a day off, Levi didn't know what he was going to do with him. 


	4. Chapter 4

Ahhh. Oww...

Eren winced as he finally resurfaced to the harsh reality. His head hurt like complete and utter hell; it was as if a hoard of monsters were fighting in his head all at once..

Wait, where was he?

Eren opened his extremely heavy eyes, only to feet an immense pounding in his head. What had happened to him? Why did his head hurt /soo much/. Eren let out a soft groan and blinked, his eyes re-adjusting to the lighting of the room. He was on a couch, and there was a thick blanket draped over his frame; right up to his chin. He was lying on his side, and was wearing his faded jeans and a loose tee-shirt and brown fleece jacket from yesterday. His head was still throbbing, and as he looked up, he saw a figure loom over him.

Looking up, Eren saw his Boss.

Oh crap.

Levi was going to kill him... Wait, Levi. Was he in... Was he in Levi's apartment?

Frowning, Eren rolled over. He was dreaming. That was the only plausible explanation. There was no way he had gone from a bar to Levi's apartment. Unless... What the hell had happened last night? What did he do? Eren desperately tried to recall his events, but all he could remember was Armin and Mikasa going home... And then drinking... A lot. Oh no... The young brunette buried his face in his two hands, accepting that he had passed out and the Levi had had to help him out. He was probably in Levi's apartment. He probably looked like crap, and he probably smelled of alcohol. Well, I guess now there was only one thing to do. Apologize like hell.

"Hey... Sir." Eren looked back up at Levi through his stuttering words; who was actually looking rather concerned. Who knows why.

"So, uh, guess I passed out, huh? Sorry. But um... Thanks. I mean it. Most wouldn't have bothered to help me." Eren smiled genuinely, and then suppressed a whimper at the constant throbbing in his head.

Levi couldn't help but let a small smile take place on his pale features, as Eren began to open his tired eyes - and it wasn't long before the taller boy came to his senses and tried to make up some explanation as to why he was here and had become /completely/ hammered last night. It was actually rather cute, to see the boy toss and turn, as if he could escape the whole thing by doing so. Levi didn't even realize that he was chuckling from the brunette's timidness - the raven honestly couldn't help how he acted around Eren any more. Eren just made him that /happy/, and Levi was slowly admitting that simple fact to himself.

''You are very welcome, Eren. I couldn't just leave you passed out in a bar, could I?'' The raven smiled, but then noticed the wince of pain on the other male's face. ''There's some water and painkillers on the table next to you.'' Levi quickly added, before turning on his heal swiftly and making his way over to the large windows that literally covered a whole of his living rooms wall. You could see such an amazing, beautiful view from Levi's floor of the whole city. The smaller male held a cup of coffee in his hands as he let Eren make himself comfortable and take the medicine - he couldn't imagine how much the boy had to drink last-night, so he wasn't going to ask him about the argument at the bar that happened to occur as well.

Levi /knew/ those tall men were hurting Eren, and he was determined to know more about it. The ebony haired male was about to let something as serious as that slide so easily; no matter how stubborn the younger kid may decide to be in defense.

Levi was wearing a pair of pajama shorts, with a black, short sleeved shit that fitted his frame rather nicely. His hair looked as it did every single day - as if he didn't sleep at all. But, the truth was, Levi's sleeping patterns had become that bad that it had slowly progressed into insomnia. Perhaps it had something to do with his time at war, the older didn't know. But he didn't seem to care, either. He was use to having hardly no sleep; completely adapted. Plus, he wanted to be awake for when Eren came too. Levi didn't want the brunette to be confused of his surroundings, and probably panicking about what happened the previous night.

Eren took the painkillers provided of course, and soon his headache ebbed away gradually. Now that he could sit up properly, he looked around. He was in the most amazing, stunning apartment he had ever seen in his entire life. It was modern, full of light that shone through these huge windows, and everything looked completely brand new. Then Eren happened to catch the smell of faint windex, and the more distinct smell of, well..

Levi.

Eren looked over towards the man in question, and nearly squeaked.

Levi...

He was wearing shorts. They were grey tracksuit ones and they just... Eren had to look away. His stomach was twisting and he felt light headed. Seeing Levi in his pajamas was honestly them most... Well, adorable thing he had ever seen. He looked like something from a book. Plus, with the steam of the coffee he held rising around him , and the sun glinting in his eyes, he seemed as if he was supposed to be some type of higher being. Ugh... Why does thinking the word Levi and Sun in the same sentence make his head itch, as if he was remembering something...?

Eren reached up, and rubbed his eye carefully. Then, he was reminded once more that he was supposed to take his lens out after more that twelve hours, and not sleep in them. He needed to take them out... Would Levi mind? Eren looked on the floor near him and saw his bag propped up against the wall. In there he had had and a change of cloths... Eren had always carried a change of cloths with him. Ever since his opposition found it a fun idea to keep track of how many time they could push him in a puddle, he felt it was a good idea to have a top, hoodie and shorts with him. Just in case.

"Umm, Levi?" Once Eren had his attention, he continued. "I, uh, could I please take out my lense? I would like to change clothes, too. I have a spare set of my cloths in my bag. But, I understand if you want me to keep then lens in. It makes a lot of people... Uncomfortable and I get it." Eren looked away. He honestly was expecting Levi to want him to keep it in. Ever after what he had said yesterday, his hideous...Mutation... It creeped everyone out. The thought of making Levi uncomfortable just made his heart contract. What if Levi felt pressured to say it was ok when he didn't feel that way?

"Y'know, actually, it's ok. I know how weird and freakish it looks and hey, I get it. Don't worry. I'll keep it in." A brief flash of his fathers face formed behind his eyes, and he saw the judgmental look and utter disappointment in his son. Biting down on his lip, Eren looked down at his hands. He really was a monster. He was everything his father intended him not to be. He was just wrong. Not really meant to be. His family would probably be better off without him. Eren looked ever further down and just thought about leaving, but then he had to find a way to make it up to Levi...

But then... The man spoke up.

Levi slowly made his way back to the couch where Eren was located, sitting up with the warm blanket draping over his knees which the small raven had covered him with last night. Placing his black mug down on one of the coasters on the table, Levi brought his eyes up to meet with the beautiful brunette's.

'Hey, Eren, no- please, take it out, ok? And leave it out... It's just me here, you don't need to feel uncomfortable around me, of all people. Alright?'' The black haired male began to speak, once again reaching his hand out to gently rest on Eren's shoulder, to make sure the brunette felt comfortable and wouldn't break eye contact with him. The raven was never really much for physical contact, and he hardly knew how to express his emotions or feelings...But he hoped that, whatever he was doing, was somewhat soothing to the brunette teenager.

Levi noticed that Eren was playing with his hands as well, as if a sign of being scared. ''I told you, you don't need it. I...I think you look very handsome without the fake contact.'' Levi softly added, more emotion beginning to enter his voice as he continued. He didn't want to voice his full, honest opinions just yet, in-case he freaked Eren out. Instead, he went for a more subtle approach with the simple word, 'handsome.'' That was normal to say, right?

Never-the-less, Levi's first priority was Eren feeling comfortable right now.

''Weird and freakish are two words that i'd /never/ use to describe you...'' Levi spoke his mind again, in a much quieter voice then before. Eren honestly was the most adorable, beautiful human he had ever seen right now - his messy bed hair, his exhausted facial expression from last night's drinking.. The brunette was indeed a cute drunkie. He just didn't want Eren to be so insecure about how he looked, especially in front of Levi.

Eren's breath was currently hitched. Levi was... Honestly one of the best people he had ever met. Eren could feel his doubt was fading, until it was completely gone. He felt that he could take the lense out and be just about ok with it. Looking up at the raven's stunning face, Eren nodded, and went into the bathroom with his bag after Levi had told him were it was located. Putting the bag down on the immaculate floor, Eren looked in the mirror. He looked like... Well, he had passed out at a bar and gotten carried home. Which, surprise surprise, he had.

As Eren went into the large bathroom to change and take out his unneeded contact lense, the ebony-haired male smiled as he folded the soft blanket Eren had been using and set it neatly on the edge of the comfortable couch. The male could almost feel the heat that still lingered on the material from Eren's use of it, along with the faint, unique smell the belonged to the brunette boy. Levi knew that the brunette could probably see some of the horrific scars that covered his arms from his agonizing past, but the small male couldn't find the will power to care about it right now. He felt comfortable with Eren, and if the brunette was going to leave out his contact lense, then Levi would leave his jumper off and let Eren know he is not the only one with permanent body deformities and modifications in return. An eye for an eye, in a way. If Eren was going to open up in one way, then Levi would do, too; hopefully making the aura of the room a lot more soothing and relaxing. He wanted the brunette to know that he wasn't the only one who could be considered a monster by society. Perhaps it would make the taller male feel somewhat better..

Pulling off his old clothes in exchange for his new ones, Eren put on a pair of cream, knee length shorts and a white tee shirt. Looking at the bruises on his arms from falling or being pushed, Eren pulled on a grey hoodie that was too big for him. Comfort clothes really.

After washing off his face and hands, he took out his lens and put it away safely. Giving one last look at his real, un-hidden eyes, he shook his head and looked away. There was no point of feeling bad. It was here to stay. Stepping out from the bathroom, Eren looked at Levi and smiled. Then he saw something that he had seen before, but dismissed as his own imagination.

There was a pale scar on Levi's left arm. Eren knew he had seen something. Frowning a little, Eren decided it was best not to ask. Levi would tell him if he wanted... But he was soooo curious to be utterly honest...

Eren decide against his previous decision. He just wouldn't be too direct about it. "Hey, Levi, thanks again. There were some idiots at the bar and I guess I tried the old 'drown your sadness in alcohol,' approach. I swear, I don't normally get /that drunk./ it was really a one off." Eren grinned sheepishly at his boss. "Oh, you don't mind me calling you Levi, do you? I'll call you sir and stuff at work, but I figured it would be weird if we weren't, y'know?"

As Eren came back into the room, Levi had to force his eyes from widening and scold his facial features from changing all of a sudden - Eren was wearing shorts. God damn /shorts/ of all possible things! Levi could see just how smooth his legs appeared to look, along with the significant difference in the tone of skin towards his own. God, this boy was driving him insane..

He was also wearing a rather large hoodie, that looked adorable as it draped over Eren's hands from the big size. Just when he thought the brown-haired teen couldn't get any cuter...

"Of course you can call me by my name. We're not under work circumstances, so there's no reason to be formal." Levi said in a soft tone, still wanting Eren to feel as comfortable as he can with the raven. Levi gently patted the cushioned seat next to him on the sofa with a small smile. He was suprised however, when Eren was the first one to bring up past nights occurrence.

"I knew you were involve with that, god dammit..." The smaller male muttered under his breath. "Ah, you see.. Me and my friend over heard the commotion coming from the other side of the bar. From the insults that seemed to leave their filthy mouths, I figured you were the victim once I saw you at the bar not so long after...'' Levi frowned softly at recalling the memory from the previous day; not even realizing that his facial expression had changed.

"I swear to god if I knew earlier it was you.. You don't deserve that, Eren. You're not a bad kid, and you're not a freak or whatever they decided to call you, alright?" The ravens tone of voice changed to a stern one, as if he was giving out a rule to Eren to not believe them idiotic bullies..He wanted Eren to believe every word that was leaving his mouth. The brunette was too precious to be hurt and knocked down like that. Eren probably had no confidence at all; from what Levi had already seen.. He couldn't image how it was like for Eren to grow up with his eye condition in today's community.

Eren felt a grin spread over his face that was so big he had to cover it with the big sleeve of his handy hoodie before it looked weird. Seeing Levi in his pajama shorts, drinking coffee, and threatening to get the four idiots who were well over half of his height on top of him... It just made him so happy to know someone like Levi. Someone who may not be the most trusting around people, but when they opened up to someone, was the best type of person that lived on this world.

Eren looked over at the smaller male sitting beside him, and repressed the urge to just give him the biggest hug, but then he didn't want to scare him. He was in Levi's apartment, he did nothing out of line. Eren uncovered his mouth, and ran his fingers through this tufts hair. He really should get a hair cut, compared to Levi he looked like a hobo. Getting back to the topic on the table, Eren said:

"Thanks, Levi, but if you ever see anything happening, you must not do anything. If you got hurt because of me..." Eren trailed off. Smiling, he continued, ''I don't know what I'd do, but it wouldn't be good for anyone." Seeing the skeptical look on Levi's face, Eren without thinking grabbed the ravenettes hands in his two own bigger ones and began to speak again:

''No, I'm serious Levi! You can't try anything! I've known these people for years know, and nothing about them has changed. Seriously. You could get badly hurt, and that can't happen." Wincing at the information he just accidentally disclosed, Eren looked down. He seemed to be doing that a lot recently.

"It's not that bad. You do get used to it and I just ignore them. It's very easy actually." Eren gave a reassuring smile to Levi, and looked out the gigantic window. "Some things you can't change and I've accepted that.''

Levi was honestly surprised by the brunettes sudden out burst of emotion. This really was effecting him, right..? The raven softly held Eren's hands tighter in return, looking the taller male directly in his beautiful, outstanding eyes which he was sure he'd never forget. They were committed to memory by now. The way his long strands of hair hung loosely over his tan face was such an adorable sight, and almost made Levi want to run his slender hands through the oh so soft looking locks. However, when Eren told Levi not to retaliate to these kind of people, that's when the small raven became serious almost instantly.

"Eren, you should /not/ have to be use to this kind of treatment. You /do not/ deserve to be treated like... Like /this/. And I'm not promising you that I won't back down if you ever get hurt again. Eren, I've been in the army - I've seen much, much worst things then them...i'm pretty sure I can keep them of your back." The raven didn't realize that he mentioned about his past at war, not having any intentions of saying it in the first place. He knew he had never said it to Eren before now.. But Levi /did/ notice how the brunette was looking down once again, so Levi took the opportunity to remove his own hands from Eren's extremely warm and comforting ones, to instead place a gentle finger tip under the taller boys chin and lift his head up once again.

"You should keep your head high, because you are one of the most affectionate people I have ever met." Levi still held back on how he really felt about Eren, still continuing to be subtle. He didn't no how long for, though. He wanted to give the brunette all the confidence in the world.

When Eren felt his head tilted up by one of Levi's long, strong, slender fingers and he flitted his odd eyes up to Levis stormy, grey ones - he was only to be immediately captivated by their dark depths, and found he could not look away. No matter what he did, it seemed as if Levi had him completely bolted still, and, strangely enough, he was more that ok with it. Being frozen to his current place didn't bother him in the slightest.

Eren heard Levi tell him how he would be his protector, and that he had seen worse, and that he thought Eren was... Attractive... Eren couldn't help it. He stood up and hugged Levi with such ferocity that a small part of him said he should be careful, but he ignored it. Holding Levi was something he wanted to do for a while. It couldn't get much better than this, but when he felt Levi hug him back... Eren felt tears run down his cheeks. He sobbed a little, but clutched Levi tighter. He needed Levi to know that he loved him.

"Levi, thank you so much. I don't know what I said last night... Only that it was probably true. I do that when I'm drunk, so whatever I said, take that as I said it. Ok?" Eren paused. "Also, you can tell me anything. I've already told you a rather large section of my pathetic sob story, and so you should know that I'm here to listen."

Eren just stood there for a while, holding Levi tightly and refusing to let go. He wouldn't let go.

At first, Levi was utterly confused when the brunette began to stood up - had he said something wrong that offended him or something? Perhaps saying Eren was attracted was too out of line at this moment of time...But those daunting thoughts were quickly pushed away when the taller male pulled the smaller into a tight, warm embrace that couldn't be describe as anything other then /perfect./ From the such ferocity that was included in the hug, Levi fell back onto the couch as he was taken of guard - but that didn't bother Levi, because in the next few seconds, it came to his attention that Eren was crying after the raven wrapped his arms around him in return.

Levi's eyes gradually widened, as he buried his head into the crook of Eren's next as he enjoyed the warmth that spread throughout the two - carefully moving his soft hands over Eren' back, as if to calm him down. But then, the brunette decided to admit that whatever he had said in his drunken state last night was true. No..No way - Eren didn't...Eren didn't love him. How could /Eren/, such a bubbly, bright, absolutely stunning and amazing person as himself love someone as foul, gloomy, stoic and depressing as Levi; the exact opposite of himself?

Even if it was true, which Levi highly doubted, he did not deserve the love and affection from the taller male...He was worth /so/ much more. ''T-thank you, Eren...That means a lot, you know...? I-I don't really talk to anyone about my past...'' What was that? A faint stutter in the small raven's speech? Levi chuckled slightly, as if trying to cover up the break in his voice. ''And it's not pathetic, Eren. Nothing of the sort.'' Levi found that, he too couldn't let go of his Personal Assistant - oh, how he would thank Hanji and Erwin - but he didn't want to give them that satisfaction of ''choosing the right person.'' Instead- Levi simply closed his eyes, allowing Eren to finally find comfort in him.


	5. Chapter 5

After their sudden hug, Eren and Levi spent the rest of the day doing what is formally known as nothing.

Eren hung around at Levi's apartment, and after a short while, they went out and had lunch together. Eren hadn't really been hungry, but Levi made him eat something due to the fact that he hadn't had any breakfast either.

As they sat in the small cafe, with Eren picking at his food, and Levi glaring at him and telling him to eat, Eren felt elated. This was the most enjoyment he had experienced in a long time.

As they were walking back to Eren's apartment, A few blocks away, Eren saw one of the douches from yesterday, staggering and cursing with his shoes in his hands. Clearly, he had gone to another bar and was now doing the walk of shame. Smirking, Eren pulled Levi a little closer to him on instinct, making sure that the bully didn't get close to his... Well. Let's just say Levi was his.

Levi had seemed as if he would pull away at first, but when he saw a pleading look in Eren's eyes, he went along with it, mumbling something about Eren being overprotective of him which made Eren want to hug him again.

When they neared Eren's apartment, Eren shivered from the cold, pulling his hoodie tighter around him. Upon realizing that Levi had to walk home and then the smaller male was wearing only a thin, now long-sleeved shirt, he pulled off the hoodie, completely forgetting about the state of his previously hidden arms, and promptly handed it to Levi, stating that he would get cold If he didn't wear it.

Levi, strangely enough, wasn't moving, and Eren took this as a sign that he was going to object, so he simply pulled it onto Levi, who didn't struggle, and then took a step back, admiring his handy-work. The hoodie was a bit big for Eren, but it completely swamped Levi. The sleeved trailed past his wrists, showing only the tips of his fingers and the hood that Eren had pulled up, was big, and billowed over his head, hiding his eyes. After laughing at the shocked face Levi was wearing, Eren pulled the hood back up and then hopped back into his apartment, yelling his last goodbye as he went, still unaware of the fact Levi could see the bruises. Once inside, Eren promptly made himself some tea and watched TV before going to sleep. He, for the first time in his /entire life/, looked forward to tomorrow.

That simple night seemed to tremendously drag for Levi.

The hours seemed endless. He couldn't take his mind of the certain brunette, who he had literally spent the whole day with; and that honestly made him the most happiest person alive... The happiest he had been in in a /very/ long time.

The raven male didn't know what he and Eren were, though. First, it was just a boss/personal assistant relationship. Now, it's a weird friendship that developed out of the blue. But Eren...He had told him that he /loved/ Levi, and the older, ebony-haired male sure as hell knew he had un-deniable feelings for the taller brunette.

But, what were they doing about it? Absolutely nothing. Because they were both too scared to admit something so early on in knowing eachother.

Levi blamed it on the fact that he couldn't let himself get attached to anyone; which was a great fear that vastly grew during the war. But he was no longer in the war- so why did he have to worry about anything...?

However, the black haired male's mind was also wondering about what he had seen on Eren's arms earlier that day when he removed his hoodie. A vast amount of bruises and cuts were scattered; littering his smooth skin.. Levi considered that perhaps they were just from his clumsy trait Eren seemed to have, and how many times the young boy walked into objects and tripped over his own two feet. But Levi wasn't dumb, and he also knew that Eren had most likely been bullied since a little child to this day.

The thought alone made Levi clench his fists again tightly, as he was lying on the dark colored couch in his apartment. Yes - he perfectly admitted that he was one hell of a protective person, /especially/ when it came to Eren.

The anger curdled up inside of him, but Levi refused to even dwell on the fact that he saw one of the tall men earlier near Eren's home. Thank god he was pissed out of his mind -otherwise Levi would of sure as hell done something about it. Eren was /his/ to protect.

...Wait, when had the small male started to label Eren as /his/?

Levi signed slightly to himself, a hand going to rest upon his spinning forehead as his mind was actually over thinking for the first time in forever. He knew that if he ever had the glorious chance to sleep, it wouldn't be tonight.

However, the short raven held the warm jumper that Eren had left with him closely to his chest, inhaling the lovely scent as he pressed his nose to the material; gripping the cloth tightly in his palms in order to make him feel as if Eren was still here. As if he was holding Eren in a warm embrace; just like he did earlier. That boy really did make his heart beat rapidly- and even skip beats at the sight of his insanely beautiful face.

God, that smile...

It plagued his mind.

As the hours of the night dragged on to an end that seemed no where within reach, Sunday happened to make Levi endure the painful wait of seeing Eren again even longer. He didn't want to pull the kid out of his house all the time..Surely the brunette had better things to do? Just because the older male knew where the kid lived now, it didn't mean Levi had any right to see if the younger, brown-haired male was free. He wasn't going to bother Eren.

Sunday was the usual day off for people in the business such as Erwin, Eren, Hanji and Levi..However,the Monday morning work finally arrived, and Levi was standing in his office; looking out of the large window as he buttoned the top button of his white shirt, and pulled up the black tie so that it looked smart.

Eren's jumper was hanging over Levi's chair at his desk - the raven had brought it to work so that he could give it the brunette back. Levi slightly chuckled at how big it was on him the other day...He couldn't believe how small he was compared to Eren when it proved from their clothing.

Levi's blazer, once again, draped over all of the skin of his body, so that no one else could see the horrific state of his skin. At least, that's what he considered it as. Strangely enough though, he only felt comfortable with Eren seeing them, even though he had hardly no clue how he got them. All that the brunette knew, was that Levi had went to war. The black-haired male was way to distracted by his own thoughts to hear his office door opening, and a certain brunette arriving slightly earlier then usual.

Eren had dressed himself in his usual attire. Suit and tie, and had speed walked into work. Listing to music, he had two thin, wire headphones in his ears;connected to his crappy phone. Eren finally reached to stairs, and began to ascend them. He had gotten used to using steps recently..

Once he finally reached to the top of his destined floor, he slipped down the corridor and opened Levi's office door. Once inside, he glanced around to see the that man in thought was fiddling with his shirt, and had Eren's hoodie draped over his chair, neatly folded. When Eren looked up at Levi's face, however, he suppressed a gasp.

Levi looked absolutely shattered. The raven had always looked slightly tired, but this... This was a whole knew level. Levi looked exhausted to an excruciating point. His hair, although neat, hung over his eyes, and his eyes were dark rimmed; the lids seemed slightly red from the obvious lack of sleep. He just seemed so...

Eren searched for the right word, and finally found it. He seemed so /Fragile/ today. As if someone had taken away his tough exterior, and left him with a tattered resemblance of what it had once been. Eren felt immense bad for Levi, and was saddened by seeing the small male seeming so out of character.

After slipping inside the office, Eren paused his music politely, though not actually taking the headphones out yet. He clear his throat, alerting the man that he was present, and stepped further into the room.

"Hey, L-sir." Eren mentally face-palmed. "Sorry. But, are you ok? Take this in the nicest way possible, but you look kinda tired."

Eren rubbed his eye. Yes, he had that dammed contact back in. He resolved to wear it around work, as he was sure he would be seeing others beside Levi in his daily life. Looking, concern clear on his face, Eren tilted his head and awaited Levi's response as he stood in a formal manner.

Levi smiled softly as Eren walked into his large office room - as always, Eren gave him his first smile of the day. Also, he looked especially adorable with his head tilted like that as he waited for an answer. It was then that the brunette mentioned how tired the small raven appeared to look. Did he really look that bad...? He thought he had gotten use to the insomnia and all by now, and people had just adapted to his constant appearance. But last night wasn't a peaceful 'rest,' or whatever Levi could willingly call it. His mind was overheated pretty much all yesterday evening, after all.

''Heh, i'm alright Eren. Don't worry about me, okay? I guess you can say I have trouble sleeping.'' Levi began, not actually admitting that he had insomnia. For some reason, it made him feel as if he somehow weak, or weird, or something like that. He didn't know how to describe it. Plus, he had noticed that Eren was once again back to calling him by the formal name of 'sir.' It sounded..Different. Even after just that one, single whole day the spent with one another. Levi didn't like it, especially when he was still allowed to call the younger teenager by his actual name.

The older male slowly ran his slender fingers through his black hair, pulling his bangs away from his pale features. Levi noted that Eren was once again wearing his concealing contact, and Levi just wished that he could remove it. But, the brunette being comfortable was the ravens number one priority; especially at work. The smaller of the two had just become so...Used to Eren not wearing it already, probably due to the fact that he spent all day with him not wearing it at all - and he took every chance he could get to look into the younger male's eyes.

''I hope /you/ slept well, though, Eren.'' Levi quickly added quietly, Eren's name just seeming to flow from his tongue perfectly. He just loved saying his name.. It was so unique and different - he had never met another 'Eren,' before.

It felt really did feel strange and foreign - Eren referring to him as 'sir,' again, but he wasn't going to argue against it. He knew that the tall brunette was dedicated to his work for him.

''Alright, I just have some papers for you to give to Hanji and Erwin once again this morning. I swear, they never fail to give me some papers to fill out every damn day...It's like they are actually trying to get on my nerves.''The smaller chuckled once again, even though he didn't actually mind it. ''And they are already doing a good job of doing so.''

Obviously, the metaphorical, emotionless wall that Levi had built over the years was starting to crumble down right in-front of Eren; like its meaning all these many years had meant nothing. His fake façade was slowly fading away, all because of this damn kid.. As Eren obliged and left the room, he just so happened to leave the door wide open to his office, and one of the window's in Levi's room happened to wide open. It was tremendously windy outside - this resulted in a rather large gust of wind flowing through the room, and pushing against the office door so that is slammed shut with a rather large bang unexpectedly. And from their, everything seemed to turn into a sinfully painful slow motion act.

The sound caught Levi extremely of guard, resulting in him falling to the ground from the impact it had on his ears.

The sound...

it reminded him-

It reminded him of what had happened in the war.

The horrifying gun shots that could only represent the harshness of reality. The ear-drumming grenades that cracked right through your skull. The sounds of heavy, tremulously exhausted bodies falling left, right and center; no matter where you were.

All the loud sounds...

Before Levi knew it, his back was leaned against his wooden office desk, as he was sitting on the carpeted ground; knees pulled up to his broad chest and slender arms wrapping around his legs; embracing himself tightly. He was physically shaking - and quite a lot indeed. His head was buried deeply into his arms; suddenly feeling extremely cold and vulnerable. He could feel his own grey eyes begin to water very slowly, and a few of the drops of the moisture were already beginning to trickle down his pale cheeks; leaving light stains.

No no no- the sounds, they all came flooding back. All he heard was one loud bang from his office door, and that was enough to send his mind into a complete frenzy. Crashes and bangs, death and destruction, blood and gunfire everywhere he went - all the memories came flooded back, as if the key had finally unlocked the lock and set every bitter nightmare free.

All the people that were lost... It was as if he could /physically/ feel the pain of all the scars he had acquired on his porcelain skin over the painful years. He was completely out of reality.


	6. Chapter 6

Eren walked back to Levi's office, and just as he was putting his hand on the door, he heard a most peculiar noise. It was a soft 'whump', proceeded my silence so loud it was deafening. Eren opened the door, and walked in, shutting it behind him very carefully. The eerie silence didn't seem to bring a good vibe at this moment and time.

"Levi?" Eren turned around as he softly whispered the other, shorter male's name - not particularly worrying about labeling his boss with formalities right now.

Though, what the young, brunette teen saw, was something that made his heart want to kill itself instantly. There, leaning against his wooden desk and clutching his arms to his chest and sobbing hysterically, was Levi. The smaller man was shaking, and tears were streaming down his pale cheeks whilst retched sobs escaped his seemingly dry throat.

"Levi!" Eren cried out this time, much louder then he previously did, as he ran over to the quaking form on the floor - but seconds before he got there, Levi seemed to explode. Suddenly, Levi's limbs started spasming uncontrollably, and the raven screamed. Eren felt pieces of his soul tear away as he heard this shrill, earth shattering paint of utter agony. Eren grabbed onto Levi's arms, holding them down, but he was struggling greatly with such an immense amount of force. Levi was /very/ strong.

Eren felt tears stream down his cheeks, as he desperately recalled the television program on what to do if this happened to someone you saw..

The brown-haired male felt his mind explode with bursts of information on the situation, and he immediately took action straight away; fearing that wasting any time wouldn't contribute greatly right now.

Step one: Clear the area surrounding the subject.

Kicking out his feet, Eren sent the chairs and desk flying into the nearby wall, and they lay in heaps around the room.

Step two. Keep your hands around the subjects head.

Eren gripped Levi's jerking head in between his hands, and as he saw the two grey eyes full of so much /pain/ and utter devastation as tears ran from them, his heart broke into shattered fragments. He desperately tried to clam himself, though. Levi needed him to be strong right now. Their should be a thingy in Levis bag or draw.. The guy on the TV said that anyone who could experience seizures like this should keep something akin to a special Epi-pen with them.

Eren looked around desperately. He had to find Levi's brief case..

Ah! There it was, luckily enough, by the door, a more obvious place then the kid expected. But Eren was too far away to reach it without letting go of Levi... Then, Eren felt a tightly curled fist slam him in the stomach with such brutal impact that he his the doorframe. Well, as long as he was here..

Ignoring the immense pain in his gut and grabbing the briefcase, Eren desperately looked through the bag with urgency. C'mon, where is it... Come on... Eren's frustratin rose aand was beginning to get the best of him ass he looked for the pen... Please...

Eren felt utterly useless, and if it wasn't for Levi's writhing body across from him, he would have given up.

Then, he finally found it.

Leaping across the room, he landed next to the spasming ravenette, and pulled off the cap. Grabbing Levi's quaking Leg, he slammed the pen into Levi's upper thigh, and proceeded to pin Levi down as best as he could, given the circumstances. Thoughts raced through his head..What if he had done it wrong? What if he was too slow? What if...

Then Eren felt Levi begin to still beneath him. Tears of other relief streamed down Eren's face as he gradually felt Levi calm, and he finally sobbed.

OnceLevi was completely still, the younger looked up at Levi's face, and relief washed though him in the process. The raven looked peaceful now, and his cheeks, although wet, were relaxed and looked normal once again.

As soon as he carefully climbed off of his boss, Eren looked around the room. Not as bad as it could be, but one of the chairs was broken, and the desks and its contents spilled on the floor. Getting up, Eren contemplated on weather or not to call someone. Soon, he decided against it though. Levi would hate the attention, and he wouldn't want to look weak infront of anyone.. The teenager knew Levi that well, at least.

Eren careful picked up Levi, and was surprised to find he could lift him, and put him on the office sofa across the room and out of harms way. Then, set about re-building the room like it was prior, hopefully to resemble like nothing ever happened in the first place, the brunette got to it. Picking up the desk, and grunting under its weight, he put it, and the chairs back together. He threw away the old epi-pen case, and also the broken bits of chair. After admiring his handy-work, he looked back to Levi, who was still sleeping soundly - he hoped. He wiped his tear stained cheeks, and took note that his lens had fallen out during all the crying. All he cared about now was that something had sent Levi into a seizure, and he had to prevent that from ever happening again.

What could have caused it... Eren found now was the time to do some snooping; just a little. Walking to the desk, he found Levi's file. Opening it with still shaking hands, he saw what he dreaded. Levi had faught it the war for years.

Dropping the file and stalking back to Levi, kneeling down next to him, Eren stroked his hands through the ebony hair, feeling it as if it was the purest of silks, and cried some more. Levi must have heard something that was a trigger, like a load bang or something, and Eren wasn't there for him.

Looking down at Levi, he decided not to tell the older raven what had happened in too much detail; knowing it would only cause him pain to know what had happened if he were to find out. Eren, of course, did not know of the security cameras Levi has secretly Installed without anyone knowing in his office.

It was about an hour after the incident before Levi was even able to come too once again, and when he woke up - he couldn't remember any of the event's that had happened prior to his mind shutting down.

Why was he sleeping? He hadn't slept for quite some time now... God knows how long, come to think of it. His vision was just starting to come back to him, as the small raven gradually realised where he was.

He was sleeping, on the sofa... In his office? But...Why? And a very dis-organised office at that. His eyes were so exhausted, that he wasn't able to keep them open for that long.

The black haired males cheeks felt stained with some sort of liquid substance; perhaps tears.. and his muscles ached from pain and exhaustion. He could feel a tremendous drilling in his head, like something had triggered such a big impact on his mind. As well as a slight tingling feeling in his upper thigh..

Levi didn't know why, but the first word to leave his mouth was Eren's name, as he spoke it in a soft, quiet and almost audible whisper. But then, it all came back to the small male. He had one of his, ''panic attacks,'' right...? And Eren must of been there to have seen it all... Shit shit shit...The young brunette would never see him the same way again. The usual strong, calm and collected Levi was now degraded to a weak, pathetic and extremely vulnerable idiot. Yes, Levi believed himself to be a confident person all in all- but he would never say that he was /strong/. His past proved that. He couldn't handle any loud noises. He couldn't deal with elevators. He couldn't even let himself get attached to people..

The small raven closed his eyes tightly once again, a frown beginning to take place of his pale features as a single tear once again fell from his eye. He was a pathetic excuse for a human being... Eren must haven't of had a clue what to do, and eventually Levi had just passed out. Somehow he was moved to the sofa, though...Was Eren really that strong? He was small and all, but the boy was clumsy as heck. Levi guessed that Eren wasn't as vulnerable as he many have looked in the first place.

Eren had his head on the desk, and if it wasn't for the current state of high alertness, he wouldn't have heard the small calling of his name form Levi. It was so soft, that he thought he might have imagined it at first.

Looking up, he saw Levi's thin frame still laying on the sofa, and thought he must have been dreaming after all. However, that didn't stop him, and he stood and walked over to his boss, and knelt by the still form.

Eren sighed. It was probably a strange thing that he still saw Levi as a strong and collected person, even with his tear stained cheeks. Looking at Levi's closed eyes, he saw his eyelids flutter a little. Gasping, he bent down, hovering over Levi whilst watching intently with a gentle gaze. Then, as if to spite his hope that his raven would be OK, he saw a tear trickle down Levi's porcelain cheek, and he suppressed his own. He had to be strong for Levi. Looking down, he saw Levi laying perfectly still, but had tear tracked cheeks and wet clumped eyelashes. Eren still thought he was beautiful though. Why hadn't Levi told him? He could have helped somehow. He could have tried to talk to him.. Eren felt utterly useless. Self loathing itched at the back of his mind, and he focus on Levi's pale porcelain face. Running his hands through the soft, silken hair, feeling it trickle through his still slightly shaking fingers and curling round his palm.

Levi's senses were still gathering back to him very slowly indeed, so he didn't hear the soft steps of the other brunette as he gained closer to his location on the soft couch. His eyes were still tightly closed as the tear rolled down his porcelain face - therefore, he did not see Eren walking towards him due to how heavy his eyelids felt. The only sign which let him know that the younger male was here, was the gentle action of Eren running his slender fingers through the small ravens hair. Levi could almost feel his heart skip a few beats, as he instinctively leaned into the touch without evening thinking about it.

Eren was so sweet, and made the raven feel so calmed and relaxed after everything. Above all - the brunette boy made Levi feel /cared/ for. A slight smile was able to take place on his pale features, despite how disgusting his face felt and how incredibly dry his throat seemed to feel at the time.

''I don't deserve you, Eren...'' Levi managed to cough through raspy breaths. And no, this wasn't regarding the teenager as a Personal Assistant anymore. It was regarding the boy as a friend.

''You deserve a much better boss...Not someone as pathetic as me.'' The quiet male added, knowing there was no reason to hide in front of Eren any more. He had seen everything - he had seen how he reacted to loud noises and right now, Levi felt like the most vulnerable person in the world. However, the small raven managed to lift his hand up, to gently grab on the sleeve of Eren's jacket - just like he did in the elevator a few days back.

Eren looked down at Levi and did not stop stroking the silky hair for two reasons. First, Levi had leaned into it and that was honestly the most inspiring moment ever on its own, and second, Levi needed all the comfort he could get right now.

Whilst Eren wasn't sure if he was correct in thinking that he was comforting Levi, he sure as hell wasn't going to take that chance and stop doing what he was doing. The brunette felt the older raven grab his sleeve, and curl his thin slender fingers around Eren's coat. The younger sat down next to Levi on the floor and simply looked over at the man.

"Levi. You really do astound me sometimes." Eren, upon seeing the confused look evident on the ebony-haired boss' face, he sighed. He needed Levi to understand that he was there for him, more then that of a PA.

"You say that all the time. That you 'don't deserve,' things and that you feel 'pathetic,' " Eren made quotation marks with his hands as he said this, staring ahead of him as he did so.

"But let's look at this logically. I have cried in front of you... Three times so far. You have once. And it's because you experienced years in a brutal environment that highlights only the word of humanity and it left you with side effects that you couldn't help no matter what. Me, I cried because some people shove me around." Eren paused and looked Levi dead in the eyes with complete honest; needing him to understand how he truly felt about the subject.

"You are the strongest person I have ever met, Levi, and ever will. It takes a true Hero to be what you are, and that is something I can't ever comprehend." Eren saw some confusing emotions in the shorter male's eyes, and shuffled around so that he was leaning right next to him. Stilling his hand in Levi's hair, he took the other man's hand in his own and squeezed it ever so gently.

"So, Levi, I believe that the best course of actions right now would be for you to finally accept that I look up to you, metaphorically, and admire you no matter what you do or say. I'm gonna be around you for a while, so you'd better accept that and get used to it." Eren gave his best reassuring grin, and stood, walking over to Levi's desk. "Oh! And don't worry about the whole seizure thing. It was a small one, I think." The brown-haired male lied through his teeth, knowing that it would hurt Levi to know the truth.

"Though.. Do you want anything?"

Levi listened to every caring, gentle word that passed through the beautiful brunette's soft-looking lips; also noticing how the younger male was not calling him by the label of 'boss, anymore, but instead, as his real name.

See, Eren /always/ knew what to say; no matter the situation. He was just that type of person. He always knew how to be comforting and makes things better. The small raven couldn't even begin to believe how /anyone/ could bully such a lovely boy in the first place.

Levi shook his head in response to Eren's question, though - he didn't want anything at that moment and time. All he wanted, was for Eren to /here/ with him.

Evenmoreso, when Eren spoke about the seizure thing being a 'small,' one, somehow, Levi couldn't believe that.. He felt incredibly pained and tired for this to be 'small,' one.. He did have the hidden camera's in the room which he could check, if he was able to bare watching back on whatever happened... But, never-the-less, the older male slowly opened his eyes, brushing a sleeved-covered hand over his face so that he could get rid of the lingering moisture from his pathetic tears.

As Levi finally regained back his sight, he saw just how close the younger male was to him, and he realized that the brunette wasn't wearing his fake eye contact once again - and this straight away made Levi's smile beam.

''You're not wearing your contact..'' The black haired male softly whispered, reaching a aching arm to place the palm of his hand on Eren's smooth cheek. Levi didn't know what he was doing; it was like his body was taking control of his actions at this point. But Levi just wanted to show the brunette affection and gratitude for everything he had done.

''You're a cheeky little brat, you know that? I'm not /that/ small...'' The small raven quickly added, seeming to clutch Eren's warm hand tighter as he said so. Eren really did mean everything to him. Even if he did make silly jokes about his short height. Eren was the only one who could do that without earning a negative reaction from the raven.

Eren felt a soft smile take over his tan face, as Levi slowly placed his hand on his cheek; along with the accompanying words that slipped past his thin lips. Suddenly, Eren realized that he was no longer shaking, and was instead feeling a soothing heat emit form Levi's warming hand; seeping into his own skin. Eren automatically leaned into the contact, and listened to the raven's response. Heh. He was, actually, but Eren couldn't say that. It would make him self-conscious , and that was the /last/ thing that Levi needed right now.

Eren saw Levi looking directly into his eyes, and a small part of him wanted to hug Levi,again, but that could result in hurting him during his fragile and exhausted state. Well, more exhausted then usual, anyway. Eren decided on another course of action. Before his mind could tell him it was a bad idea, his body leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Levi's forehead, lasting just three, minor seconds. After pulling away, the brunette found himself walking towards his bag before the raven could look him in the eyes again. He was, to say the least, nervous as hell as to how Levi would take his unusual affections. He may not have admitted it, but he had liked Levi a lot since he met him. As in, a tremendous amount.

Picking his bag up, Eren began to speak again, and asked Levi:

"Hey, do you want any painkillers? You were wincing a little, and I think that you hit your head. I've got some in my bag."

Levi found himself lost in the shining, reflecting eyes that belonged to the most handsome, impeccably stunning boy in the world; in the small raven's eyes, after all. No matter what any of the other bullies had to say, Eren was the most beautiful human the older male ever had the privledge to cast his eyes upon Levi could almost see his person reflection in Eren's golden eye.

However, he thought Eren was about to pull him into a warm embrace again - which, Levi would of thoroughly loved right about now. But - instead, the brunette male did something completely different to what Levi was originally expecting. Before he knew it, a pair of soft, gentle lip's were pressed against the porcelain, smooth skin on his forehead.

Eren had...

Eren had gave him a kiss...?

The older male didn't even have a chance to react on it, before the taller boy began to walk away over to where his bag was located on the other side of the office room.

Levi's heart was beating rapidly at an extremely fast pace, and his eyes slightly widened as he was shocked into a very speechless state. He couldn't even answer Eren's question about the painkillers which Levi would of liked. But, that didn't matter, because the little raven found himself using the rest of his energy to stand on his wobbly feet, making his way very quietly behind the other male as Eren had his back turned to him; searching through his own bag.

Levi waited for the brunette to turn around again after a few seconds, obviously being caught of guard by the small man waiting quietly right behind him. Advantage of having small feet, heh?

But, that didn't prevent the raven from taking a deep breath and leaning forward, to place his soft, delicate lip's on top of Eren's. His arms wound their way around the slender waist of the taller male; slightly standing on his tip toes to reach Eren's height in the process.

Closing his eyes as he /prayed/ to God this would be all right with the younger boy, Levi held him ever so close as the warmth radiated of the both of them.


End file.
